Projects

Infill Housing Strategies/Infill Development

What's Happening Now

People need more affordably priced housing options in appropriate locations.

Recently, the City passed three ordinances effective February 27, 2019, aimed at more housing development and homeownership in residential areas mostly located near Spokane’s growth Centers and Corridors. The development code changes make it easier to achieve the planned number of homes per acre and follow work by a 2016 infill development steering committee. The changes are intended to make more efficient use of available land near existing services and facilities, effectively reducing additional expenses for taxpayers.

• Builders are now able to construct any type of building to three full stories in multifamily zones with a height limit of 35 feet, with provisions for pitched roofs and other limited projections above that height.
• Several additional changes are limited to attached houses—the code defines these as homes separated by a shared, common wall and property line. Those changes are designed to make it easier for developers to create townhouses, which can be financed and purchased separately as a single-family home, instead of apartments.

The proposed changes address development of vacant lots and parcels in already built-up areas – also called "infill development." Current work also includes mapping tools and other resources to provide information about available land and benefits of development near built-up areas, as well as continued work on some of the recommended revisions to the Unified Development Code.

Background

The City's Comprehensive and Strategic Plans encourage the development of more compact, affordable forms of housing and high-quality, diverse residential development. In 2016, a subcommittee of the Spokane City Plan Commission engaged a steering committee comprised of 16 developers, design contractors, community representatives, and leaders, to ask what changes are needed to encourage high-quality housing and commercial development in appropriate designated areas of Spokane. A series of 24 recommended actions provides a guide to address residential and commercial development on vacant lots in now built-up areas. The committee’s recommendations were adopted by Spokane City Council in November 2016. The City adopted a separate set of code amendments in early 2018 for cottage housing and other alternative residential development in Spokane’s lower-density residential areas.

Get Involved

The public is invited to participate by attending scheduled meetings and providing written comments throughout the process. City staff encourages the public to contact the Planning and Development Department for information.

Related Documents

Code Revisions – Attached Homes, Parking Transitions, Wall Height

• Multifamily and Attached Housing Code Amendment Brochure (PDF 773 KB)
• Summary of Final Code Changes and Updated Guidesheets (PDF 2.9 MB)
• Complete Final Ordinances with Code Changes (PDF 8.6 MB)

Code Revisions – Cottage Housing, Pocket Residential, Compact Lots

Infill Development 2016 Steering Committee Documents